An everyday tale of family and political life with a dollop of Formula One and various random thoughts on the side.

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Nick Clegg writes on Netmums blog about Post Natal Depression

We know our leader is passionate about ending the stigma associated with mental health problems and in making sure people have access to decent treatment. He understands the issues involved and it's an issue he talks about a lot.

Poor mental health was a subject nobody every discussed openly. It was pretty much taboo, especially in politics. Nick has made a point on making mental health one of his key priorities in Government, improving the lives of everyone who suffers, not just the half million extra people who have accessed the talking therapies he found extra money for.

On World Mental Health Day yesterday, Nick wrote about Post Natal Depression on the Netmums blog.He wrote about what the Government is doing to tackle this:

Earlier this year, we promised more NHS help for women with postnatal depression. We are recruiting more heath visitors across the country and they will all now get specialist training to spot the early signs of postnatal depression. They will make sure all women get vital professional support during and after birth. Health visitors and midwives will team up to offer the best help to new parents. They won’t just concentrate on the practical ins and outs of looking after a baby – much of the focus will be on the emotional wellbeing of the entire family.

When that isn’t enough, they will be able to refer women to counselling. The Government is investing £400 million in psychological and talking therapies which is a very significant expansion of the services available and a key element of the national mental health strategy “No Health Without Mental Health”.

We have also launched an NHS Information Service for Parents, which anyone can access at www.nhs.uk/parents. It is a new email and text messaging service providing parents-to-be and new parents with trustworthy advice about the issues they care about most.